Hotel Ceiling
by redsparkle
Summary: Clary is a runaway. She fled the hidden life she was living in the countryside of Idris with her monsterous brother and villianous father to make her way to New York City in search of her mother. But when her father finds her and her mother in his search for the Mortal Cup, things get messy and she will find out who she can trust. [CLACE] [Reboot of "You're My Mortal Flaw"]
1. Author's Note

Hey there!

I am formally RoyalCaroline, but I have since lost the login information for that account and for the life of me, I can't remember it. However, I have the two stories I was running under that pen name and I had planned to do a reboot on both stories, but life got in the way and I was eight chapters in. So, I am going back at it. I am going to edit what I had and continue on. Thank you so much for the lovely support :)

I hope you guys enjoy! And I love to hear your feedback :)  
XOXO RedSparkle


	2. Chapter 1

"Father, please. Will you tell me what happened to my mother?" Clary's voice cracked slightly at the end of the last word. _Mother_, she thought. It was a word she did not use often or lightly. A word that made her heart hurt every time she said it or thought it.

The air quickly became strained between her and her pale-haired father. His eyes drifted up from the documents that he had littered about his desk to meet Clary's. "Clarissa, I am not getting into this again with you. Why must you always bring up that woman?" Anger beginning to radiate around him as he shook his head in mild disgust.

Against her better judgment, she ran to his side. She fell to her knees, continuing to beg him. "Please, father."

Almost instinctively he raised the back of his hand to her, but stopped himself and lowered it. He took hold of the arm of the chair and pushed himself upward. "Clarissa, I will not speak of this again. She left you. She left all of us. Now, stop pushing me!"

His hands came down hard on the desk causing Clary to jump backward. She dropped her head, tears now flowing freely from her green eyes. _I don't believe you_, her mind screamed, but she could not get the words out. The same thing would happen every time she decided to muster up the courage to ask her father about her mother. Her mind would scream louder and louder, but she never let it out. She could not understand how her mother could just leave her, an innocent baby at the time, and just walk away without a care in the world.

On the other hand, she could understand how her mother could simply run from her brother. He was a monster with his evil ways, mood swings, and terrifying black eyes. She knew he was more than different, and it was not a good kind of different.

"Clarissa, perhaps you should pull yourself together," her father told her as he reached down and drug her body up off of the floor, his voice cold and flat. "Go to your room, little girl, and clean yourself up."

She dropped her head down, eyes fixed on the floor. "Yes, father."

"I don't want to speak of this again, I mean it."

She nodded in response.

Valentine made his way to the doors of the opulent library before turning back to her. "I will see you at dinner. I have to go train with Jonathan." And then he was gone, disappearing down the large hallway toward the main doors.

Once he was out of sight, she scrambled out of the library and ran down the hall to her bedroom. Her father and brother's voices floated around below her window and they made their way out to the training field. She watched them until she could no longer see them, then she dropped to her knees and dug her favorite dagger into a specific floorboard beneath the windowsill. With as much force as she could muster, she ripped up the board to expose a box underneath.

Quickly, she removed the top of the box. She ran her fingers through its contents, checking to make sure everything was still there before returning the lid and placing it in a simple leather bag. _This is it_, she thought as she stood up.

And then, she ran.

* * *

_"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. In a little over ten minutes, we will begin our descent to JFK. New York is looking quite beautiful on this balmy May day."_

Clary's eyes flickered open as she rested her forehead against the thick window she was seated next to. She gazed down at the city below her, the city she had run to, taking it in as if she was just a normal mundane girl. A beautiful mess of tall skyscrapers and dirty street with hoards of people everywhere. But as she looked at it a little more closely, pushing through the glamour surrounding it, she could see what it really looked like. She could see _her_ New York City.

She gripped the black leather bag tightly as she pulled herself out into the aisle and made her way off the plane._ Here goes nothing_, she thought to herself as she stood at the gate. She threw the strap of her bag across her chest as she began to make her way out of the airport.

As she pushed herself out into the New York City air, she couldn't help but notice the eyes of every Downworlder she passed fall upon her. She knew that they knew _what_ she was, but was glad to know that they did not know _who_ she was.

"Where to?" The driver blurted out quickly as she slid into the backseat of a vacant cab. Clary looked up to the sight of a dirty, malformed face staring back at her. Yet another Downworlder in her path. She had been in New York City for no longer than a half-hour and had already crossed paths with more Downworlders than she had in her whole life. Granted, she was hidden away her entire life in the countryside of Idris.

The cab driver asked again for her destination, this time in a more direct tone.

"The Saks on Fifth Avenue should be sufficient," she replied. A little shopping was needed considering the contents of that lone leather bag was nothing but the box and some weapons, not a single piece of clothing even though it had been glamoured to look as though it was filled with such.

The cab came to a halt in front of the department store and she tossed the Downworlder a wad of bills. "Keep it," she told him as she slid out of the cab onto the busy sidewalk.

The first time that Clary has laid her emerald eyes on the New York Institute, it just looked like a dilapidated church complete with shattered windows, crawling vines, and yellow police tape due to the strong glamour placed upon it to keep it hidden from the mundane world and its inhabitants. But after a moment, her eyes adjusted and she saw it for what it really was, a beautiful gothic cathedral with tall spires stretching up into the bright New York sky. She stood in front of the Institute for a long moment, but did not dare to attempt to enter. Even thought her father kept her pretty well hidden for the last eighteen years of her life, she was afraid to risk someone finding out who she really was, especially so soon. She couldn't risk someone realizing that she was _his_ daughter.

Before she set off for her hotel, she took one more glance at the Institute. Her chance at answers was right there, within arms reach, and she could not bring herself to go in.

Just as she turned the corner with bags in hand, she noticed a few kids her age walking towards her, covered in runes. _Shadowhunters_.

Suddenly, she was very glad that her clothing covered her runes at the moment because she was certainly not ready to introduce herself to anyone, whether it be under an alias or not. So as they passed, she made sure to keep her eyes straight ahead and tried not to make eye contact, but she couldn't help herself. She had caught the eye of one of the boys and as she passed, he turned around to look back after her and she made the mistake of turning around to look back at him as well. For a quick moment, they locked eyes. He paused to stare, his blond hair blowing in the light breeze that pushed down the city block.

"Jace, are you coming?" The other boy called to him. "What are you looking at?"

Jace turned back to his friends, but not before looking back for the girl. "Nothing, I just-," he started, but stopped when he realized that the girl who the long red curls was gone.

* * *

"Welcome to the Plaza, miss," the doorman greeted Clary with a pleasant smile as he pulled back the opulent gold door and ushered her into the beautiful lobby which was enough to take her breath away.

With the multitude of shopping bags in hand and the leather bag slung across her chest, she rode her way up to the 21st floor in the grand elevator. The breathlessness she had felt when she first entered the lobby of the hotel was nothing compared to what she felt as she opened the door to her opulent accommodations. The suite had two floors and a small terrace that looked out over 58th Street and the bustling city below, but the definite star of the room was the huge bed covered in pristine white bedding.

The decadent bed was now covered in what seemed to be all of the clothing purchases she had made earlier that day. And of course, like any girl, she was sure she had nothing to wear. After she grew tired of searching through the piles of mostly black garments, she pushed a pile off the foot of the bed to sit down. In her hand, she held a flyer for a downtown nightclub she had heard about in the airport earlier today. Pandemonium.

Finally, she slid into a skin-tight black lace dress and pulled on a pair of stiletto-heeled boots that came just above her slender knees. She twirled around in front of the wall-length mirror, a wide smile plastered on her pretty face. "Sorry, father," she said aloud in a taunting voice knowing that Valentine would have never let her go out in public in such a dress, let alone buy it in the first place. But then again, she was barely ever allowed out of the house back in Idris and definitely not alone. She certainly would not have been allowed to go to a nightclub with a bunch of filthy Downworlders.

New York City Clary was so much different than Idris Clary.

She arrived at Pandemonium to find a packed club and a long line of mundanes wrapping around the side of the dirty building and down the block. She paid them no mind, making her way past them to the door where the bouncer immediately let her into the smoky, strobe-light filled club once he noticed her runes.

She sauntered slowly through the crowd of mundanes who had no idea of the Faeries, Vampires, and other Downworlder species surrounding them. She made mental notes on the groups and assessed possible options of attack if necessary. As she continued her way through the crowd toward a vacant table, her view was suddenly fixed on the three Shadowhunters who stood together in a corner. They looked familiar. She was sure it was the same three that she had passed earlier that day by the Institute.

Her eyes stayed fixed on them from across the club. A tuft of blue hair, about waist high to them, was being held down by what looked to be an electrum whip. _A demon_, she assumed. And she was right. She watched carefully as they questioned and threatened it, but after a few moments of that and assuming that they were not getting the answers they had wanted, the blond boy raised a seraph blade to kill it.

She changed focus as the demon began to disintegrate and fade away into nothing, but she could feel someone's eyes upon her. Their eyes boring into her. She looked back up toward the group of Shadowhunters she had been watching to find the blond boy staring back at her. So, with a smirk, she moved away from the table toward the hallway where the bathrooms were.

But he beat her there.

A toned arm was placed against the wall in front of her in an attempt to keep her from getting away. "Got ya," the blond said slyly.

Clary let out a soft chuckle. "Got who? Me?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she pushed a section of long curls out of her face and smiled devilishly up at him.

"You think I don't know _what_ you are?"

Clary's eyes slanted into a slight glare. "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about," she stated simply as she wrapped her thin fingers around his wrist.

"And I am sure you have had plenty of dealings with demons, little girl." He looked down and smiled, reveling in the feeling of her touch on his skin, but something changed in her eyes. They darkened, and with just a few twists of her wrist, he realized that was apparently not the comment he should have made.

"Do not call me 'little girl,'" she spat as she leaned over him, a heeled boot resting in the center of his chest. Other ways to get her point across to him began to flash through her mind, but then she thought of her father and the terrible tactics he used which caused her to quickly change her mind._ I am nothing like my father,_ she thought to herself as she removed her boot from his chest and offered him a hand to help him up.

He looked at her with a little shock. "Thank you," he said in a simple voice as he brushed himself off. He looked down at her, noticing her face had softened and she had relaxed, so he held out his hand politely. "I'm Jace. And you are?"


	3. Chapter 2

Clary froze. _Shit_, she thought to herself. The alias that she had spent so much time mapping out so carefully on the plane ride to New York was now missing from her mind causing her to take a long pause before answering him. She looked away and closed her eyes, stumbling a bit from a slight dizzy spell that had taken over her from the sudden rush of nervousness.

Jace swiftly threw a hand out to steady her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "It is just so loud in here," she replied as she placed a hand to her forehead.

"Here, let's get you outside," he told her as he directed her toward the door, making sure to keep a hand at her waist as if to not lose her in the crowd of the club. Once outside, he removed the hand and linked it with one of her own to lead her around the corner to a quiet alley opening.

Clary steadied herself against the hard brick wall, slightly chuckling a bit under her breath. "You must have this effect on all the girls."

"Well, to be honest, the next time you want me to wrap my hands around you, just remember a little sweet talk works wonders," he joked with a cute smirk curling up the sides of his mouth.

Clary shook her head. "Sweet talk is not really my strong suit."

"Well, I suggest that if you want a chance with me, you better learn."

She let out a tiny laugh and smiled softly toward him, her hand still in his. "Well, if this is your idea of romantic, I think I will have to pass. A dark, creepy alley? I mean, that just screams romance. Let me tell you!" She rolled her eyes as she laughed lightly. The attempt at any level of severity definitely failed as she stood there, her hand still in his, wondering why she just simply refused to remove it. She thought of just walking away, taking her hand back, and pulling herself away from something that felt to be holding her hostage by her own choice. Nowhere in her mind could she pinpoint what this feeling was that was keeping her there in that alley with him.

It wasn't like she was some needy girl in search of attention or affection. Her father made sure she never clung to the idea of love. And she surely didn't feel the need to prove herself to Jace. He was overconfident as it was, why add fuel to his fire? She attributed it to the fact that she was deprived of a normal teenage life, removed from the real world and guarded from the public. She didn't know how to exactly interact with others her own age other than her monster of a brother, who she barely interacted with at all as it was. She never had friends, never had a boyfriend or male suitor, never even had a crush. This made her feel so - _inadequate_.

But then it dawned on her that all of these things would be nice to experience, and this boy lives in this city, probably has for most of his life. His friends, too. She could gain valuable knowledge from them, even if they don't know that they are giving it to her. They could be the missing link to finding her mother. They could help her find her. They could be her friends, too. _It would be nice to know what it is like to have friends,_ she thought.

Jace's voice rang through her ears, bringing her back to reality. "I am sure you could handle yourself, you sure dropped my ass quickly back there." His voice was soft, his laughter light and airy as he joked with her, putting her back at ease.

"You are right. I sure did," she shot back.

Clary studied his golden eyes. Even though she wanted to believe that he could be trustworthy enough to know her real first name, she decided against it and played it out as attempted flirtation. "And why is it you want to know my name so badly?"

Jace's eyes lit up, a spark flashing through them like a shooting star. "Nice to meet you then, girl-with-no-name. May I have the honor of walking you home?" He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

Clary giggled. "Walk me home? To mine or yours?"

"I'll take you wherever you want to go, my lady. We don't have to go anywhere at all. We could stand here for the rest of the night, if you wanted, or stroll around the city until dawn breaks," he told her with a wide grin. Then he pulled away and moved toward the sidewalk, turning back to see if she decided to follow.

And she did. "You can just walk me back to my hotel. That is if you want to, of course." She gave in. She gave into something that she didn't quite understand, a feeling that she had never felt before. A sense of wonder, curiosity, and bewilderment that caused something inside of her to beg her not to let him walk away. And she obliged.

Jace was happy to hear her say yes to his offer, but confused when she said the word _hotel_. "Why are you staying at a hotel? Shouldn't you be at the Institute?"

"I could stay there, yes, but I prefer to experience the city that I am in when I travel." She stated simply. She didn't want to leave any room open for interpretation, she didn't want to give away too much.

Jace watched her carefully as they walked together through the sidewalks of the city. Something about her pulled him in and kept him there. He wasn't used to wanting someone that he felt he couldn't fully have. He was overcome with an odd sense of comfort and attachment, it made him feel like he did not want to leave her side from this moment on. He was sure that he would follow this girl anywhere.

She was beautiful and dangerous in a way he never knew a girl to be, she was so strong and brave. She was taught well and there was something there, pulling him into her. He couldn't put his finger on what it was exactly, but it was something that he was surely determined to figure out.

And she felt it, too. There was something about him, so intriguing and alluring. He reminded her of her brother, but where Jonathan lacked the high self-esteem and calm demeanor, Jace excelled. He had this sense about himself, he was confident and headstrong. It was refreshing to see such an independent person considering the way her brother would follow her father around like a puppy.

Before they knew it, they were in front of The Plaza and this is where their night was supposed to end. Jace pulled Clary into his chest softly before releasing her, his eyes following her as she made her way up the front steps to the gleaming gold doors where she stopped to turn back and wave lightly to him.

Once she was out of sight, swallowed up by the historic hotel, Jace made his way back to the Institute. He had surprised himself by not even making an effort to get her to ask him up to her room, but he didn't want that. He wanted to get to know this girl, which was definitely not like him at all. And even though it wasn't like him to be this way with a girl, he liked it this way.


	4. Chapter 3

The sun was bright and warm as it filtered through the thin gossamer of the curtains that covered the massive windows in the bedroom of her suite, just lightly tickling her exposed skin. Clary's eyes fluttered open and shifted around the room, her fingers examining the fluffy bedding. _I am really here, it wasn't a dream_. She pushed herself up in the plush bed, taking one more look around the room before she pulled herself to her feet.

The bathroom was just as grand as the rest of the suite with rich gold fixtures that radiated as the star of the serene white room. Clary open the door to the shower and let the water run until it was hot before she slipped out of the clothes that she slept in and moved underneath the water's flow.

After she was showered and dried off, she emerged from the bathroom, her fragrant perfume following her from the steamy upstairs bathroom, the scent now filling the downstairs of her suite. She moved toward the closet where she searched for some fresh clothes to cover her damp body with. After deciding on a pair of black skinny jeans and a simple white v-neck, she slid her feet into her favorite pair of lace-up boots. _Good enough_, she thought.

She braided her damp hair back, slipped her arms through the holes of her vest, and headed out of her suite toward the elevators. Once in the lobby, she made her way outside to join the busy Fifth Avenue crowd. There were people everywhere, but one person in particular seemed to stick out like a sore thumb.

Jace.

"Are you lost, sir?" Clary asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him ever so slightly.

Jace turned around and smiled. "No, miss. I came to take this girl I met last night to lunch, I had planned to call her, but she didn't give me her number... or her name, for that matter."

"It sounds to me that you are in quite the predicament."

He nodded. "I sure am. She's cute too, bright green eyes and fiery red hair. Have you seen her by chance?"

Clary smiled and let out a giggle. "You are crazy, you know that?"

Jace laughed as he took hold of her hand and began to walk with her by his side. "So, girl-with-no-name, are you hungry?"

"It's Clary," she said softly as she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Clary," Jace stated with a smile. "I like that. It is pretty, just like you, Red."

As they closed in on the diner that Jace had rambled on about most of the walk, she noticed a few people standing outside, but only two of them looked familiar. "Is it time to meet the family already, Jace?" She pointed toward the two Shadowhunters standing about fifty feet ahead of them. They were the same two she had seen with him the night before at the club and when

she had passed him on the street in front of the Institute.

"Unintentional, I promise," he told her, the sound of frustration plaguing his voice. "That is Alec and Isabelle." He watched as Isabelle waved suspiciously toward them and tried to keep his emotions in check as he and Clary reached the two dark-haired Shadowhunters. "What are you two doing here?"

Isabelle quickly eyed up Clary as Alec spoke. "Well, it is a diner and we happen to be hungry... and we both know that Izzy can't cook."

"Hey!" Isabelle squealed as she elbowed Alec sharply in his side. "I can cook just fine!"

Jace turned to Clary, pulling her in a little closer to him, and leaned in to her ear. "We can go somewhere else if you want," he whispered softly.

His voice sent shivers down her spine, but she shook her head automatically. "No, no... this is totally fine! I would love to meet a few more of my kind while I am here in the city. I never really got to have friends growing up with my father and brother. They were always so protective," she told him before quickly cutting herself off, realizing she had already said too much. Although she didn't think Jace had picked up on much, she attempted to change her tone to throw him off. "After all, I can't just go spending all of my time with you. How else would all of your girlfriends get any time with you?" Her eyes shooting in the direction of a faerie inside the diner that was still staring at Jace through the window. "It looks like she is waiting for you," she laughed as she pointed at the girl.

Isabelle laughed out loud. "I am going to love this girl! Please tell me this is the one you were telling me about from last night?"

Jace nodded and that was all the answer Isabelle needed before she laced her arm up with Clary's and led her inside where they chose a vacant booth, each sliding into an opposing side and striking up a conversation.

He stood for a moment outside in a minor state of shock. He never had a girl dominate him like that, so effortlessly. She was definitely something different, not like any other girl he had ever met.

Clary watched out of the corner of her eye as Jace slid in next to her. "So, what is good here?" She asked as the faerie she had just pointed out came to a stop at their table to wait on them. Clary smiled across the table to Isabelle who giggled softly. _A girl friend__,_ Clary thought, _that would be nice. _

They sat and ate and laughed, Clary watching them as she joined in. This was all so new to her. Friends. People to talk to other than her brother. People who included her in silly banter and petty conversation. People who could eventually care about her and that wanted to get to know more about her. She felt, for the first time in her life, _included_.

After lunch, Isabelle and Alec split off from them and headed back to the Institute. Clary watched them as they walked away and longed to be going with them to the one place that quite possibly held some, if not all, of the answers she needed to find her mother. She thought of the possibility of manipulating Jace into taking her there, but she wasn't even sure that she would make it through the doors. Her father was the most horrific person in the eyes of the Nephilim as a whole and no one even knew she existed.

"Where to now? I am sure you didn't fly the whole way to New York City for a vacation." He had taken notice to the look of purpose in her eyes. He could tell that the wheels were already cranking inside her head. "I know you came here for something else," he said quietly.

Clary looked up at him as they walked down the sidewalk unnoticed by the passing mundanes. "And how do you know that?"

"I actually don't know. I was making what I assumed would be quite the educated guess because here is what I do know. You ran away to New York City. You had no one here waiting on you. I think you are here to find something... or someone. You are searching for something. And I just have this ridiculous need to help you," he told her. "Clary, you can trust me."

"But I don't know that, Jace," she started," ...yet. I mean, I just met you." She shifted her eyes ahead of them, walking beside him in step.

And it wasn't that she didn't want to trust him, but she was right, she really didn't know him. They had just met yesterday and even though they seemed to have an automatic connection, she was worried that if he was to find out who she really was, that he would disappear. Or worse... that he would give her up to the Clave. She could not afford to risk her life with a stranger.

Jace sighed. "You have to tell me something."

Clary took a deep breath. "Fine. I am looking for _someone_."

"A Shadowhunter then, yes?"

Clary nodded in response. She was afraid that she had said way too much with just that little bit of information and thoughts were racing through her mind. She wanted to be honest with him, so she carefully picked out pieces of her story to create a vague version of the truth, something she thought would be enough to satisfy him. "I am here to find my mother."

Jace's eyes lit up. "Your mother?"

"Yes, my mother. She left when I was a baby, disappeared from Idris without a trace. This is my first stop on my way around to all of the Institutes. I thought that since this is one of the largest cities in the world, she may have come here. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide away in," she explained. All of it true.

And with just that little bit of information, Jace decided to talk her into going to the Institute. She was very hesitant, but he was persistent and she gave in.

Clary watched as he spoke the words to open the doors of the Institute, memorizing them quickly. She wondered if she would ever be able to use them. "Is anyone here?" She asked in a quiet voice as she glanced down at the cat in front of her.

Jace smiled at the cat. "This would be Church. He is totally harmless..." his voice trailed off as he watched her eyes grow larger as they walked through the hall and toward the elevator. "Alec and Isabelle should be around here somewhere, but their parents are in Idris for a few weeks dealing with matters of the Clave. The only other person here is our tutor, Hodge."

That name struck her. _Hodge Starkweather? _

It was all coming back to her. Hodge was not a very common name after all. She remembered hearing of Hodge from her father, and how he had been sent to live at the New York Institute as punishment for being a part of the Circle. She recalled most of the names of the ones who had betrayed him, including her mother, but if she was remembering correctly, Hodge had _not_ been one of them.

They made their way up to the library and Jace guided her through the doors, a hand on the small of her back. She could see Hodge where he sat, stationed behind a large desk with his face buried in a book, unaware of their presence until Jace let one of the large doors slam shut behind them causing him to look up at him with a bit of disgust.

"Was that necessary, Jace?"

Jace laughed lightly. "Nope, I didn't actually mean to do that."

"It is fine. Is there something you need?" Hodge asked although he didn't actually seem to be too concerned.

"Nothing really. I just have someone for you to meet." Jace turned around to reach for Clary's hand, but she was no longer standing behind him. He looked around the library until his ears caught the sound of her boots padding down the hallway back toward the elevator. Without thinking, he made his way out into the hall to chase her down. "What is wrong?"

Clary shook her head. "I can't tell you," she replied angrily as she waited for the elevator to raise itself to their floor. After what was only about thirty seconds, but it felt like hours, it arrived. The strong metal doors opened wide and she stepped inside. "I am sorry, I can't do this," she told him with a bit of sadness flickering in her green eyes as she pushed the button for the bottom floor.

Jace stood frozen, unable to pinpoint exactly what to do, but then he quickly snapped out of it and shoved his hand in the way causing the doors to open back up. "No, I am going with you."

Clary stared at him. "Jace, you don't have to do that."

He hushed her as the doors shut in front of them and the elevator began its descent to the bottom level. He looked over at her, taking her hand in his. "I told you, you can trust me."

* * *

Central Park was fairly empty for how nice the day was. Clary had pulled Jace deep into the heart of the park to a secluded vacant bench, far from earshot of anyone. With so many Downworlders around, the last she wanted was for the word to spread that his daughter is in New York.

Together they sat on the bench in silence. She searched his face before determining if she wanted to speak, before determining if she really wanted to tell him everything.

Jace looked at her with a sweet smile and squeezed her hand. "Whatever it is, Clary. You can tell me. There is nothing that could scare me away, if that is what you are worried about."

She let out a fake laugh. Losing him, a boy she had only known a very short time, was definitely not her worry. Even though it was something that hung around in the back of her mind.

"It can't be _that_ bad," he reassured her.

"This could be a matter of life and death, Jace. You really do not understand," she told him as she raised herself from the bench.

He grabbed her hand to stop her. "Clary, tell me. I am not going to go anywhere and nothing will happen to you. I won't let it. I will protect you." His eyes pleaded with her for answers.

And something told her to tell him. All of her life she had been locked away, never able to take a risk or live her life. She deserved to live. She may have been his daughter, but that was the last thing she wanted to be. She just wanted to find her mother and be free of him. She had kind of hoped that maybe if someone knew and if the Clave found out who she was, that maybe they would protect her.

But that was a big maybe...

It is now or never, she thought to herself. "You really cannot tell anyone, Jace. _He_ could find me if you do."

Jace's eyes widened. "_Who_ could find you?" 

She paused, searching for her words. She couldn't bring herself to say _his_ name.

"Clary, it really can't be that bad. It isn't like you are the daughter of Valentine," he joked in an attempt to lighten her mood. He so badly wanted to help her but knew that whatever it was she was hiding, it was something that terrified her.

Tears began to fill her green eyes as her father's name rang through her ears. "Jace..." was all she could get out. She just sat there with her eyes glistening in the afternoon sun, her face hot.

"Wait. What?" Jace stared at her, noticing the streams flowing down her cheeks. He knew he had said something wrong. "Tell me, Clary."

Her tears were falling freely now. That was something he just could not stand. All the pain she had endured for the last sixteen years was surfacing and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

She took a deep breath. "My name is Clarissa Morgenstern," she whispered.

Jace shook his head. "No, no. That isn't right. That is impossible," he insisted as her search his memory back to what the blue-haired demon had told them at Pandemonium before they killed him. _Valentine will return for the cup_, he recalled him saying before the seraph blade sliced through his throat. "Clary, Valentine Morgenstern is dead and so are his kids. They died in a fire the night of the Uprising, their remains were found in the wreckage. All Shadowhunters know this."

"Jace, my name is Clarissa Morgenstern," she repeated. "I am the only daughter of Valentine Morgenstern who is very much alive along with my brother. I swear to you, on the Angel, that this is all true."

Jace was speechless. That damn demon was right, he thought. Valentine was alive, which made the possibility of his return almost imminent.

"Jace, I ran away from my father. My mother left when I was a baby, and I know she left him, not me. I have to find her. He will come for her. They will kill her. They will kill me," she pleaded, tears still flowing.

Jace didn't respond with words yet. He just pulled her in closer to him with his strong arms, wrapping a red curl around his pointer finger.

Clary pulled away from him, staring into his eyes with a look of complete severity. "I do not believe in what my father stands for. All I want to be is free."

They sat there in silence for a few moments which to her felt like forever. She watched the mundanes pass by, not knowing that they were sitting on that one bench. They were so oblivious to the real terrors that threatened their world, oblivious to the rune-covered beings that protected them from a world of monsters and evil. And she wondered if life could have been better had she been born into the mundane world she was born to protect.

Jace turned to her and as if he read her mind told her to stop thinking about things that could never happen. "You can't change your fate, Clary. And the past is gone."

She smiled, more to herself than him. "I know. The way I look at it is that Jonathan was born to help him and I was born to stop him. And I will."

"We will," Jace corrected.

Clary shook her head. "No, this is not your fight."

"Clary, this has been every Shadowhunters fight since the Circle was created. You may be the only one who can stop him, but that doesn't mean you are going to do this alone," Jace told her sternly. He was not going to just let this girl run away and fight a war on her own.

She stared up at him as he spoke. He believed her. And she was beginning to trust him, still not sure if it was a good idea, but she was anyways. If was almost as if her mother wasn't the only one she was supposed to find in New York.

Clary was still unsure of what to say in response to his promise of protection and to fight beside her against her father. She knew that she would have to destroy Valentine if they ever hoped of stopping him. But now she knew that she did not have to do it alone.

Without warning, Jace jumped up from the bench and pulled her up too. "Come on," he told her.

"Where are we going?"

He smiled. "No need to waste this beautiful day, I am going to take you to do a little sightseeing."

"It is like you read my mind," she replied, wiping her tears away and replacing them with a soft smile.

He threw his arm around her shoulder as they made their way out of the park. "Let's get you out of here."

* * *

After a long day of exploring the city, Jace and Clary made their way back to The Plaza. They stood on the sidewalk in front of the stairs and brilliant golden doors laughing about their day. And it had been a good day, even with bearing her true identity to him.

"Would you want to come up?" She asked timidly, her fingers lacing themselves in her red curls. She had hoped he would accept the invitation, but not expect too much because she wasn't sure how this flirting stuff went. She was doing her best to just go with the flow.

Jace nodded, following her up the stairs and through the doors to the illustrious lobby where she then swiftly led him to the elevators amidst the odd looks and stares they were receiving from the other hotel patrons that littered the lobby. She had forgotten that neither one of them were glamoured and was sure that the sight of two tattoo-covered teenagers at The Plaza was quite the sight. "I don't think they liked you very much," she laughed as the elevator doors closed behind them, leaving them to ride up to the 20th floor alone in the confined space.

"I don't think that you really care what those hoity-toity rich mundanes think, do you?" He smirked as the elevator began its climb through the floors, the same elevator in which he stood, taking up the opposite corner as her, trying to do just about anything but stare at her like he wanted.

She smiled devilishly. "I am sure I could have just glamored you up to look like Lady Gaga or Obama or someone of importance to them. That would have certainly been entertaining!" They both laughed, and she couldn't help herself when she decided to stare back at him when he wasn't looking.

Everything about the ride in the elevator was like a dream to her, everything moving in slow motion. Each move was deliberate and thought out. Then, something changed.

The elevator announced her floor with a loud ding. She sighed as she went to step through the doors and out into the hallway.

Then it happened.

Jace grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the elevator. He pushed the button for the sixteenth floor, just a few floors below them, and once they began to move, his fingers smashed the "emergency stop" button causing the elevator to come to a screeching halt. His hand was still on her arm as she lifted her hands up to his chest to steady herself. He looked down at her and smiled as he pulled her up to him.

And he kissed her.

She could feel his smile on her lips as she returned the kiss with the same. A smile. It was certainly something she was not used to doing, smiling, but nor was kissing for that matter - this would be her _first_. A fact that made her feel slightly inadequate and unprepared, and a little awkward. She refused, however, to let any of that show. And so she kissed him back, soft and sweet, not wanting it to end.

But after a few brief moments, it did. He pulled away from her and pressed the button for the twentieth floor, her floor, again. As the elevator began to move, he kissed her once more. She smiled at him as the doors opened and she led him down the hallway to her suite.

When they reached the door, she fumbled through her pockets for the key, and then her stele. But before she could find either one, he had her softly pinned up against the wall beside the door. He left two light pecks on both of her cheeks and one sweetly on her lips before pulling away from her again.

"I couldn't help myself, my apologies," he said with a chuckle as he watched her fumble through her pockets in a mild state of confusion. "Here, I got it," he told her as he pulled out his stele and drew a rune quickly, unlocking the door, a slight smirk twisting at his lips.

"My hero," she breathed with a laugh.

He winked at her, his smirk now a wide grin. "I did always have a thing for a damsel in distress."


	5. Chapter 4

After a few more strategic kisses, things between them had calmed down, neither one of them wanting to push it too far. Their laughter turning into conversation about where to start with the search for her mother and what to order from room service.

As they sprawled out on the floor in front of the couch, waiting on their food, there was a knock at the door. Clary jumped up to open it, not expecting what was on the other side. Instead of a room service cart and a bellboy, there was just a pile of books on the floor in front of her suite's door. "What are these?" She asked as she picked up the top book from the stack, looking back at Jace who had a smile beginning to curve his lips.

"Oh, the power of technology," he replied as he mentally patted himself on the back for the fact that he got the books there so quickly. _Thank you, Isabelle_.

She stood up quickly, dropping the book. "How did you get these here?" She was suddenly becoming frantic. "You told someone about me. You told someone?"

He lifted himself up from the floor and moved to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "No, no. I just texted Isabelle and told her that I wanted to do some research on my father and the Circle. That I wanted to tell you all about him, and to deliver the books here, to your room..." Isabelle never questioned him either, and she definitely wouldn't have now knowing the pull that Clary had over him. Isabelle had seen it firsthand at Taki's.

Clary seemed to relax as she bent down to pick them up, but Jace stopped her and scooped up the pile of books before she had the chance. He followed her back into the room and up the stairs through the bedroom of the suite to the terrace. Jace lugged the heavy books out through the large doors, laying them on an empty table before sitting down on a padded bench.

There was another knock on the suite's door. _Room service_, she thought. "I will be right back." She returned with a tray in hand, setting it on the table beside the books.

She started with one of the thicker books, what looked to be a photo album of some sort. She opened it to a page somewhere in the middle and a picture fell out. She studied it thoroughly as she lifted it into the light. There in the middle of the photograph was her father. Her father with a woman to his right, her arms wrapped around him, and another man to his left. _My mother? _She wondered.

She turned the photo over to reveal three names scribbled on the back. "Lucian Graymark, Valentine Morgenstern, and Jocelyn Morgenstern," she read aloud.

"Is that her?" Jace asked as he moved to her side of the table. He reached down and pulled another photo from the book with more Circle members pictured in it. There was Valentine, and Jocelyn, along with Lucian, Hodge, Robert and Maryse Lightwood, and Michael Wayland. _My father? _

Clary looked up at him. "Yes, that is her. And I know the other man, too. Lucian. He was my father's parabatai before he killed himself after he got bit by a werewolf in battle," she explained as she thought back to the stories her father used to tell her and her brother of the Circle. Lucian was one of the members that brought her father great sadness, almost as much as her mother.

She snapped herself back from thinking about her father, though it was quite hard while holding this photograph in her hand. She looked up at Jace and spoke softly, "I am afraid that Hodge is still working for my father. Valentine had always talked about having his hands working at most, if not all, of the Institutes around the world. And I know he has spoken of Hodge before. I don't think Hodge is someone I can trust. But what is worse is that he probably already knows I am coming here, that is if my father knows where my mother is."

"That is why you disappeared from the library. It makes sense now," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder and watching her carefully. He didn't want to press her too hard with all of the new information surrounding her, but he knew what he did want to do. "Let's find your mother, Clary. I will do whatever I can to help you."

She looked over at him and smiled a sweet, trusting smile. "Are you sure you know what you are getting yourself into, Jace?"

He watched her as she placed the photograph back in the book and closed it, moving it from her lap back to the pile on the table. She moved closer to him as he opened his arms up to her, snuggling into them.

"Not to sound like a cliche, but I don't really care what I am about to get myself into. This whole situation is crazy, but for some reason, it all feels right. Like this is what I should be doing," he explained as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Clary, I don't know what it is about you, but I know I want to find out."

She looked up at him and placed a soft hand at the back of his neck, pulling him down lightly to her so she could kiss him. "I feel the same way."

* * *

Days turned into weeks, and the search for her mother kept coming up empty. No one would talk. No one would help her. When any Circle member was brought up to any Downworlder or Shadowhunter passing through, every single one of them would clam up. It was as if you had asked where Lord Voldemort was, as if anyone from the Circle was "he who should not be named."

But Clary would not give up.

Neither would Jace. He had become more consumed by her and the search over the past few weeks. They combed through books and old photo albums over and over together for hours on end. They searched every dark space in New York City for Jocelyn and came up empty every time. She was a ghost.

"Jace, maybe it is time I move on to another city. I am sure my father will find me soon enough and I am having no luck here with finding her," Clary said sadly as she placed another book on the terrace table. "I give up on New York."

Jace stared at her blankly. He couldn't find the words to say to change her mind because he knew just how important this was to her. There was no way he could ask her to stay, and would it be too crazy to go with her?

"Jace?"

He broke his gaze and stood up, moving to the terrace wall and looking down to the street. "Clary, someone has to know something."

She moved to his side and linked her arm in his, laying her head on his shoulder. "I have to keep moving, Jace. He will find me."

Jace nodded in response but bit his tongue. _Don't leave her_, his mind begged.

They left the Plaza in silence, headed to Taki's to meet Alec and Isabelle for dinner. Neither of them could bring themselves to say what was really on their minds for fear of making the situation worse.

Clary couldn't bare it any longer. The silence was killing her and she had suddenly become aware of the fact that her leaving meant she would lose him forever. She had listened to the voice in her head for the last few weeks that had told her she had already done too much by telling him who she really was, and she was tired of it._ I am sick of hiding._"Jace, why don't we tell them who I am..."

Jace stopped dead in the center of the busy sidewalk and stared at her. "Are you sure?"

Clary smiled lightly and nodded. "What is the worst that could happen? _He_ gets closer to finding me? I will just run, leave for the next city."

"I will never let him hurt you again, Clary," Jace said sweetly as he squeezed her hand. He pulled her in closer to him as they continued their walk.

They made it to the diner to find Alec and Isabelle already seated on one side of a vacant booth inside. On their way there, Clary and Jace decided that they would tell them after, Jace telling her he knew just the place. _Somewhere safe__._ Somewhere out of earshot of every Downworlder in the city. He knew that by her telling the Lightwoods who she was, they had a much better chance of finding her mother and he could keep her here longer.

Dinner went the same as it always did. The girls bantered about with gossip and such, while the boys joked about each other's lack of fighting skill. It felt so normal to Clary now. These nightly dinners with Alec and Isabelle, she had come to expect them. They were part of her new routine, and she was just as terrified of losing Alec, Isabelle, and her new life as she was of losing Jace.

As they were leaving, Clary pulled Jace aside. She had changed her mind. "I can't tell them who I am, Jace. I just can't."

Jace nodded, he knew how scared she was of Valentine finding her and of the entire Shadow world being thrust upon her because of who she was. He had been thinking about it all through dinner and decided on coming up with a "plan b" that would still pull Alec and Isabelle into help, but keep them safely at arm's length in knowledge of Clary's past. "I have an idea."

Clary looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. "You do?"

Jace smiled, then dropped her hand and moved swiftly toward Isabelle and Alec who were about 20 feet ahead of them. He wrapped an arm around his parabatai's shoulder and the other around Isabelle's. "Pandemonium, anyone?"

"Jace, you know I can't go looking like this..." Izzy complained jokingly. "Meet you there in an hour?"

* * *

Clary emerged from the opulent bathroom ready to go. Her face made up with dark shadows and red lipstick, her body adorned with a tight crop top and high-waisted black shorts. She had just plopped down on the edge of the bed to pull on her thigh-high leather boots when Jace finally snapped back to reality. "Are you going to sit there all night and stare, pretty boy?"

He laughed. "Look, Red. I can't help you don't understand how freaking gorgeous you are."

She smiled as she stood up and ushered him out the door and down the hall to the elevators. Once inside, with the doors shut, she finally asked him. "What is the plan?"

He turned to her, smiled devilishly, and pushed her up against the wall. "Right now, it is this..." And he kissed her passionately, his hands on her waist.

They made it to Pandemonium quickly, and the Lightwoods were standing outside. Alec donned his usual black leathers, same as Jace, while Isabelle had squeezed into a skin-tight dress. Together, they made their way inside where the girls found a vacant table among the hoards of mundanes and Downworlders. The club seemed to be more busier than usual, not that Clary or Isabelle minded. It wasn't long before Isabelle disappeared with Meliorn, a faerie knight that she had been seeing off and on, to the packed dance floor and Alec and Jace returned with drinks in hand.

"Alec, we need your help," Jace told him over the music which seemed to be getting louder around them.

Clary focused her attention on the oldest Lightwood as Jace seemed to explain a situation to him. Alec nodded and spoke in response, but she couldn't hear over the blaring music. It was the first time she ever went into something blind with Jace and just had to rely fully on her trust in him. She decided that it was best if she wasn't standing right beside them as Jace was setting his plan in motion for fear of her eyes or facial expressions giving the lie away, so she planted a light kiss on Jace's cheek and moved into the crowded dance floor to find Isabelle.

But someone found her first.

Someone took hold of her wrist and pulled her quickly through the crowd and out of the club to the street. Once stationary again, he released her. "Who are you?" She asked, a hand slowly reaching for a seraph blade.

He stopped that hand from reaching the weapon. "That is not necessary."

Anger started to take over her small frame. "Tell me what is going on. Now."

He looked around to make sure no one was around to listen in on what he was about to say. "My name is Raphael. I think I can help you."

"Help me with what?"

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me, girl. I know you have been asking questions around the city. It didn't take much for me to find you."

Clary gulped. _This is the end_, she thought.

"I can help you," he told her.

Clary looked around before speaking. "You can?"

"Look, I don't need to know _who _you really are or _what _you are actually looking for, but if a Circle member wanted to hide, they would need the help of a warlock. If I were you, I would find Magnus Bane." And with that he was gone.

Clary just stood there. Her first real encounter with one of the Night Children and she just froze. Her father would be disgusted with her reaction time. But then it started to sink in, the words he spoke, the name he gave her. She had a lead. She didn't have to move on to the next city, she could stay longer. _Jace_. She had to find Jace.

Jace was already searching for her. Izzy had returned to the table without Clary and that was all it took for him to take off running. They searched the club in the time it took for Raphael to spit out his few words, and by the time he vanished, Jace had appeared. "What happened?"

Clary smiled up at him and watched as the worry suddenly faded from his face. "I can stay."

On the walk back to the Institute, Jace and Clary explained Jace's version of Clary's life to Isabelle and she immediately agreed to help. With Alec and Isabelle on her side, Clary could feel that it was only a matter of time before she found her mother. She just didn't realize that it would only be a matter of time before her father would find her.

* * *

Jace woke up the next morning sprawled across the lavish bed of Clary's hotel suite. He raised his head, shielding his eyes from the bright morning sun that was filtering through the sheer curtains, to look around for her. "Clary?" He called out her name but received no response in return. _She's gone?_ Her boots were missing, along with her vest.

He raised himself up from the bed and pulled on his jacket, noticing a note in the pocket.

_Jace, _

_I am sorry to leave you here like this, but I couldn't bear to wake you. I found a lead last night, it may be my only shot. This is my fight, not yours. _

_-Clary _

"I can't let her do this alone," he said aloud to himself as he pulled on his boots.

He made his way out of The Plaza and onto Fifth Avenue. He needed to get back to the Institute and find Isabelle and Alec, knowing that he may need some back up and thinking about how crazy Clary must be for thinking that she could do this alone. She was a tough girl, he'd give her that, but she was still small. She could easily be overpowered. _She shouldn't be alone_, he thought.

He made it to the Institute quicker than he realized, probably due to the millions of thoughts running through his mind causing the time to pass quicker than usual. He knew that he still couldn't tell Isabelle and Alec who Clary really was, especially after the story he told them the previous night. But they had agreed to help and he knew they would never let him fight alone. And they would never let anything happen to Clary either, especially knowing that she meant so much to him now.

Once upstairs, he made his way through the long corridor to Isabelle's room where she was sitting at her vanity sewing extra pockets into the liner of a new jacket. Her long, black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she seemed to already be dressed.

"Isabelle, I need your help," he told her from the doorway.

Isabelle looked up at Jace. "What is wrong?"

"I need you to help me find Clary," he breathed.

It didn't take much for her to agree. "Of course. Wait, where would she have gone?"

Jace shook his head. "I don't know. She disappeared this morning, but left me a note saying she had found a lead on her mother."

"Let's get Alec. We will need him," Isabelle said as she grabbed a seraph blade and followed Jace down the hall.

* * *

Clary sat quietly on the steps of the Met thinking about the events that had occurred over the last month or so. She couldn't believe everything that had happened so far, especially Jace. Everything seemed to be coming together finally, and she was really hoping that this lead, that this warlock, would take her straight to her mother.

It was all just a waiting game now.

And waiting was exactly what she was doing. It was starting to become annoying. This is the spot where she was supposed to meet Magnus Bane and he was late.

She was just about to give up and leave when she was greeted by a faerie. She was thin and pale, very beautiful with light pink hair and razor sharp teeth that shown brightly when she flashed a quick smile at Clary. "Magnus is expecting your presence tonight at his party," she stated simply and handed Clary what looked to be a handwritten invitation.

Clary accepted it gingerly, examining her name on the envelope written in perfect calligraphy. She looked back at the faerie to thank her, but she was gone. Her eyes searched all around her, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. "Damn Downworlders, can't hold a conversation with a Shadowhunter to save their lives," she muttered to herself as she stood up and brushed off her jeans.

She slipped the envelope into her back pocket and walked down the stairs, her heeled booties clicking on the granite. In hopes that Jace had left by now, she headed back in the direction toward her hotel. She could not afford to have him around for someone, anyone, especially her father to use against her. And she knew that if her father found her, that is exactly what he would do with Jace.

What she didn't realize was that Jace was not one to give up so easily or that he had found her and was watching her as she climbed down the steps of the Met, staying hidden in the mass of people crowding the sidewalk. Instead of following Clary, he went after the faerie. She looked familiar, too, a lot like the waitress from Taki's, but he remembered this one's name to be Maegan.

When he finally caught up to her, he grabbed her lightly by the arm, which did not seem to please her at all. It caused her to attempt to use those sharp teeth and she turned around fast, almost throwing him off balance. "Shadowhunter," she hissed, "don't touch me."

"Maegan, it's me," Jace said sharply as he dodged one of her skinny hands as it swatted at him.

Her eyes lightened quickly when she realized who had spoken to her. "Jace, what are you doing here?"

"I followed you. I need to know what you were doing with the redhead at the Met."

Her eyes dimmed. "Um, Magnus Bane sent me on an errand for him. Nothing special. Just delivering an invitation for his party tonight to that girl. You guys are coming, aren't you?"

Jace nodded quickly. "Oh, yes. Of course..." He looked back toward The Plaza, his eyes searching up to the 21st floor where he could see Clary's crimson hair blowing in the breeze off of her terrace. _She was safe_, he thought with relief.

"Save me a dance then, Jace?" She smiled flirtatiously and walked away as if to leave him wanting more. Although she didn't notice that he obviously could have cared less.

Isabelle walked up to him, placing one of her well-manicured hands on his shoulder. "What are we going to do now, Jace?"

He turned around to face her. "Apparently, we are going to a party tonight."

This excited her so much that it caused her to let out a shriek of joy. "I have to go shopping! Come on, boys!" She grabbed Alec and Jace by the arm and drug them down Fifth Avenue toward some of her favorite stores.


	6. Chapter 5

Steam rose through the bathroom as Clary stepped out of the shower. She moved to the oversized mirror above the sink and wiped away the fog with her hand. Slowly, she raised her head to look at her reflection, smiling with the happiness that she now felt. She was a new woman now. Actually, for the first time ever, she just felt like a woman period. She felt beautiful and sexy.

She thought of Jace and wished she could've asked him to go to this party with her. But she knew that all he would be is a distraction, and no matter how much she longed for one normal night as a normal teenager, she wasn't normal and she didn't get to have that. She needed to find her mother.

After lining her eyes in dark shadows and liner, she finished with a few coats of black mascara and tousled her deep red curls out around her shoulders, letting them fall down her back. She chose a tight black dress with a few lace cut-outs and slid into it, fastening the buttons with ease. She threw her arms into her favorite leather jacket and pulled her high-heeled boots on, making sure to strategically place her stele, witchlight, and a few seraph blades in the pockets of her jacket and the sides of her boots.

The night air was thick as she headed away from the hotel toward the subway. _Brooklyn_, she read off the invitation that was stuffed into the envelope along with a simple note.

_Clarissa, _

_I will tell you all you need to know tonight. _

_-Magnus _

Clary crumpled the note up in frustration and looked down at the invitation. _All Downworlders welcome. Please, no fighting. This is a night to come together and have a little fun._"Oh, yes... the fun," she said aloud to herself.

Brooklyn was dirtier than she had imagined. It was almost enough to tempt her to pull out one of her seraph blades and call it to life while walking the streets alone, purely as a safety precaution, but she decided against it.

The dark streets loomed with warehouses and factories, some with signs of mundane life, some without. She had noticed a group of Night Children wandering down the street ahead of her and decided to follow them assuming that they were going to the same place that she was.

She held herself back as she watched them make their way up the stairs to Magnus's apartment. Suddenly she began longing for a friend, nervousness washing over her body. Stepping back from the door, she shook it off. _I am Clarissa Morgenstern, I fear no one. _

Jace was watching her from across the street with Isabelle and Alec in tow. He wondered what Clary was thinking, coming here alone and following Downworlders no less. He stood back, watching as she took in a deep breath and made her way up to the door. "It's time to go."

Isabelle smoothed her dress and adjusted her whip on her wrist. "Are you sure this is what you want to do, Jace? She is just a girl."

"A Shadowhunter at that, surely she can handle herself," Alec added.

"Right. Like we would ever let Izzy go up there alone." Jace moved away from them and toward Magnus's building. "I am going whether you two decide to join me or not."

Isabelle followed him without hesitation. "You know I would never miss a good party," she said with a wink.

Alec huffed and fell in line behind her. They made their way across the street and up to Magnus's door, following some Fair Folk up the stairs. When they reached the top, Magnus Bane made his appearance with a warning for them to keep a low profile and asked them not to start any trouble. Which they obliged, unwillingly.

Amid the vampires, faeries, and other Downworlder inhabitants, Jace searched for Clary. She couldn't be that hard to find considering she would be the only other Shadowhunter there. _How hard can it be to locate a gorgeous redhead covered in runes? _

Isabelle moved to the bar and waited for the lilac-skinned bartender to make her a drink while Alec made his way around the other side of the loft doing the same as Jace, looking for Clary. A few vampires watched them carefully, but for the most part, no one made an issue about them being there. Most of the vampires in attendance were more worried that Magnus had invited the werewolves, so they were didn't bother with Jace or Alec as they passed by.

Clary was standing in the corner waiting for Magnus Bane to show his face. That is when she saw him. _What the hell is he doing here? _

She quickly turned into the darkness of the corner as she saw Alec approaching. He hadn't seen her, but she knew Jace wouldn't be far behind. Alec passed by, leaving her unnoticed, so she decided to make a move to another side of the loft in search of the warlock. That is when she was spotted.

"You like the party?"

She turned around quickly, expecting to come face to face with Jace, but found Magnus leaning up against the wall instead. "Have you been there all along? I have been waiting here forever."

"Well, maybe I have." He moved toward her, taking her hand to lead her away.

* * *

Clary swiftly made her way back through the crowd of Downworlders toward the door. She had gotten what she came for and there was no reason to stay, besides she didn't want Jace to spot her. And she had almost made it out when someone grabbed her arm from behind. Assuming it was Jace, she turned around.

It was definitely not Jace.

In front of her now stood a handsome vampire dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. "Well, aren't you a pretty one."

Clary tried to slink away from him. "Yeah, thanks," she said quickly as she tried to turn back toward the door, but he wouldn't release his grip on her arm. "You can let me go now, I need to head out."

"Oh, no. I think you should stay and dance with me." He smiled, baring his sharp teeth. He was not backing down, his grip on her arm staying strong.

"Clary!"

Clary turned her head to see Isabelle waving to her. She waved back, lightly, using her eyes to show her that she was stuck where she stood. Isabelle nodded and made her way over to Clary, snatching up her free hand in an attempt to drag her away from the bloodsucker and onto the dance floor. Surely enough, he released his grip as he glared at the girls.

"I owe you one," Clary told her thankfully, smiling as she danced around with Isabelle.

Isabelle shot her a wink. "Not a problem! Besides who really wants a nasty bloodsucker groping on them at a party. Ick!"

Clary laughed as Isabelle stuck out her tongue in disgust. She danced in a circle holding one of Isabelle's hands when she felt eyes burning into her back. _Jace_, she thought. And she was right this time. There he stood behind her, a slight bit of anger in his golden eyes. But she had refused to let her emerald eyes make contact with them. She knew he was probably furious with how she left things.

He moved in closer to her. "You best be careful with that one, my dear. It seems that he may have had one too many Bloody Marys," he told her as he nudged her arm and pointed in the direction of the vampire who was still watching her through the crowd.

She laughed a little. "Bloody Marys?"

"Why, yes, they mix their vodka with real blood," he explained as he took hold of her vacant hand and raised it to his mouth leaving a soft kiss on the top of it. He watched curiously out of the corner of his eye to make sure that the vampire had gotten the hint. "What do you say we head out of here?"

Clary looked back at Isabelle who smiled and gave her a soft push closer to Jace. "I guess that is a yes." She felt no reason to remove her hand from his grip as he led her away from the dance floor and toward the door with Isabelle and Alec following behind.

Outside, the air felt cooler, a welcoming sensation since it had been quite muggy in the apartment due to the mass amount of Downworlder guests. Together, they made their way toward the subway. Jace kept ahold of Clary's hand, now intertwining his fingers with hers. For how mad she had he assumed he was earlier, he was certainly in a much better mood now. He attributed that to the fact that she was safe and now under his protection once again.

They split off from Alec and Isabelle and made their way toward Fifth Avenue. She had to admit that overall the night had been a success. She couldn't wait to make it up to her suite and tell him what she had found. Maybe she did need him after all. Well, maybe it was that she wanted him there after all, _need_ was a pretty strong word.

Clary plopped herself down on the padded bench next to Jace, happy she had gotten to shower and to change into something more comfortable - a black silk tank top and matching silk pants. She sat calmly, her bare feet resting against the cool floor of the terrace. "Would you like something more comfortable to change into, Jace?"

He looked up with a devilish grin. "Oh, yes! You wouldn't happen to have an extra pair of pink panties, would you? Preferably lace ones? Because that would just be splendid!" His sarcastic voice was playful, his smile bright.

She laughed at him, smacking him in the back of the head with a throw pillow. "I do actually," she replied as she walked into the bedroom and dug through a bag still full of clothes, pulling a pair of simple black flannel pants out from the bottom. "However, I assumed that these would be more your style. I picked them up today when I was out shopping for something to wear to Magnus's party." She tossed the pants at him and took her spot back on the bench. "I assumed that they would be more comfortable than your demon-hunting leathers."

"And I just assumed that by this point I should be permitted to sleep in the nude. Although I understand that my god-like beauty would be extremely hard to handle. It is okay, I forgive you." He pulled off his shirt, tossing it at her before moving toward the bathroom. "I'm going to shower."

She gave him a thumbs up. "Good, I didn't think I would have the heart to tell you that you were starting to stink." She smiled as she stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Yeah, yeah," he said mockingly as he shut the door.

Clary pulled the wad of paper Magnus had given her out of her jacket pocket and moved back out to the terrace with her laptop in hand. She sat down and opened the internet to a search engine where she typed in what was scribbled on the piece of folded paper. _Jocelyn Fray, Brooklyn._

"Bingo." Clary clicked open a website which led her to an address in Park Slope. She hoped it was an up to date entry, but at the moment, she was just happy to have something, After she scribbled down the address, she closed the laptop and set it aside.

She didn't realize how tired she was until she woke up to Jace leaving a soft kiss on her lips before pulling her into him, his damp hair grazing the back of her neck. She was in bed, but didn't remember how she got there, nor did she really care. He pulled her in tighter, holding her close.

And that is when she gave up and gave in, her eyes closing slowly.

Sleep.

* * *

Clary's eyes shot open wide as she woke to a loud, harsh banging on the door of her suite. She attempted to peel Jace's heavy arm softly from across her hip without waking him, but that proved to be a pointless endeavor. His eyes shot open just as fast as Clary's had and he stared after her as she slid out of bed and moved quietly to her leather bag on the floor, wrapping her slender fingers around a slim seraph blade. The banging continuing causing Jace to sit up straight in the bed.

Clary tiptoed barefoot to the door and edged herself to the peephole only to drop the blade to the ground and turn herself around. "Really, Jace?"

Jace sat perfectly still for a moment, wracking his brain on who could possibly be at Clary's door. Automatically it came to him. _Isabelle_, he thought remembering now that he had texted her last night. With a huff, he got up from the bed and opened the door.

Isabelle bobbed in, perky as a cheerleader on cocaine, stopping at the sight in front of her. "Wow, you two look like hell."

Jace glared at her as he pulled on his dirty shirt from the night before. "Well, aren't you a pleasant sight," he told her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, my dear Jace. It surely isn't morning anymore," she started with a bit of sass as she tugged at her shimmery silver tunic. She closed in on Clary, placing her hands on her back to give her a soft shove into the bathroom. "Go on, get a shower. Chop, chop!"

Clary stood for a moment in the doorway, staring at Isabelle before giving in. She shut the door to the bathroom and from the outside, you could hear the shower as she turned it on.

Isabelle turned back to Jace who had himself now leaned against the desk. "So, what is the plan again?"

Jace put a finger to his lips to hush her and shook his head. He pointed toward the bathroom door and waited a moment until he could hear the shower water begin to run erratically as if its flow had been displaced by a body. "Okay, I need you to get her out of this damn room."

Isabelle smiled as she made a spot for herself on the bed, pulling at the covers around her. "I know I don't want to be under these sheets," she said with a giggle and a wink before getting up and moving to Clary's closet where she decided to organize all of the clothes that were scattered on the floor amongst the many shopping bags.

Jace frowned at her. "Knock it off. It really is not like that. You have nothing to worry about under these sheets."

"Wait, so... you really haven't slept with her yet?" She watched as Jace nodded in response. "Aw, my little Jace is growing up right before my eyes. You are such a little gentleman now," she teased as her eyes shifted to a photograph laying on the desk. "Who is that?"

Jace followed her gaze and looked down before reaching for the photograph. He took a good look at it before handing it to her. "Part of the original Circle."

She examined it closely, noticing some familiar faces of people she knew. _Is that my mother and father, and Hodge?_ Her eyes focused in on her mother. "I can't believe they were ever a part of this."

Jace brushed it off. "Isabelle, focus. I need you to take her out for the day, go have a girls day or something. Do whatever it is you girls like to do when we aren't around..." His voice faded as heard the shower turn off.

Isabelle looked up at him as she moved to Clary's messy pile of new clothes. "I've got this under control. We will meet you and Alec at Pandemonium later, yes?" She confirmed as she organized Clary's wardrobe.

Jace nodded in response as Clary stepped out of the bathroom, her white towel hanging loosely over her black bra and panties. He watched as she moved to the closet, unaware of his eyes.

She noticed that her clothes were now hung up and organized, not strewn about the bedroom like they had been before her shower. Confused, she turned around to find a smiling Isabelle. "Thanks, Izzy," she said sweetly as she shifted through the clothes in search of something to put on. "What are we doing anyways?"

"I figured I would steal you away and we could have a girls day! A little shopping, maybe a mani-pedi, maybe get our hair done at some big time mundane salon..." Isabelle explained. "Oh, wear whatever you want... It's a hot one out there today."

Jace watched the girls leave the hotel from the terrace, noticing Clary turning back to look up at him. She was too far away for him to determine her facial expression, although he was hoping for a smile. He stood there, leaning over the edge, watching them until they disappeared around the corner.

He changed back into his leathers, slipping his arms into his vest searching to make sure his stele was still in a pocket. Once that was secure, he moved to the desk to retrieve his cell phone and dialed Alec.

It rang a few times before Alec finally answered. "Hello?" His voice sounded hazy, as if he were half-asleep.

"Are you at the Institute? I am leaving her hotel now," he said as he opened the computer to reveal the last website she had visited, leading him to her mother's possible address. Quickly, he scribbled it down and closed the laptop.

There was a rustling on the other end as Alec replied, "No. But I am headed there now."

Jace made his way out into the hallway, ignoring Alec's vague tone, and made sure the door was shut tight behind him. "Alright, I will meet you there."

Alec had beat Jace to the Institute. He made his way up in the elevator, then headed to the weapons room and had almost made it there when he heard loud voices carrying themselves down the long hallway from the library. Curious, he walked slowly and quietly toward them, hiding himself in the shadows of one of the large doors.

He could see Hodge through the crack, standing at his desk staring at a man in front of him with pale blond hair and an angular face. "I don't know where she is, my liege," Hodge told the man, his head bowed as if he were almost begging the man to believe him.

"I know she is in New York, Starkweather. She has to be. I know she came for her mother!" The man's voice was loud and overbearing. He stood in front of the desk accompanied by his slightly muscular younger version, complete with the same light hair and face of angles. The boy oddly reminded Alec of Jace. "Where is Jocelyn, Hodge?" The man yelled.

Alec watched as his tutor dug into his desk for something before turning his attention back to the man and his younger companion. The man telling his younger version something in a soft voice, to quiet for Alec to make out.

"Yes, father," the blond spoke in response before heading out of the library and down the hall toward the guest rooms.

Hodge handed the man a slip of paper he had torn out of a little black book. "She is in Brooklyn, Valentine. That is the last I heard. I cannot guarantee that this is still her address, but it is the best I have."

Valentine smiled. "I will find her. I will find Clarissa. And I will find the Cup." He took the paper from Hodge and called for the boy. "Jonathan, time to go." He watched as the boy returned to his side. "Any sign of that sister of yours?"

Jonathan shook his head. "No, father. Nothing," he told him as he followed Valentine out of the library toward the elevator.

Valentine turned back to Hodge. "You _will _contact me if Clarissa turns up here," he demanded before he spun back around and made his way to his son's side. He watched as the elevator doors opened, widening as Jace walked out from them.

Jace stared at Valentine and Jonathan, giving them a mild hello, moving out of their way to the elevator. He noticed their runes and simply assumed that they were a pair of visiting Shadowhunters. Not paying them much mind, he made his way toward the weapons room, noticing that Alec had fallen in behind him once the elevator doors had closed. "What are you doing?"

Alec pushed the heavy door to the room shut behind them. "We need to get out of here. We need to find the girls. We need to get Izzy away from _that_ girl." His voice rushed and worried.

Jace glared at him, not too pleased with the tone that dripped from the words "that girl."

"Don't look at me like that," Alec insisted. "That man was Valentine. _The_ Valentine."

Jace's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"The man that passed you at the elevator. That was Valentine and his son."

Jace jumped up from the stool. He swung the doors open and ran down the hallway to the elevator. Once outside of the Institute, his eyes searched the perimeter, but Valentine and his son were gone. "Call Isabelle. Now!"

Alec stared at him. "That girl. Clary. Clarissa? She is Valentine's daughter?!"

Jace raised his hand to hush him. "Call her!" He watched as Alec dialed his sister in a huff and threw him the phone.

Isabelle answered pleasantly. "You boys are interrupting our girls -"

Jace cut her off, "Izzy, where are you?"

"Bendel's on Fifth. Why?" Isabelle could sense that something was not right. She could hear it in Jace's voice. "What is wrong?"

"Put Clary on the phone," he begged. He could hear the phone change hands on the other end and waited impatiently for Clary to take over.

"Jace? Hello?" Clary's voice cracked with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Listen to me, I want you and Isabelle to find the busiest store you can and stay there. Alec and I are coming for you." Jace heard Alec mutter something behind him and he shot him a glare.

"Jace, Isabelle and I are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. You need to tell me what is going on!"

Jace was growing frustrated. "I will explain everything as soon as I can get to you. Just please, stay hidden," he pleaded with her.

He heard a change in her voice. "Text us when you are close. We will stay hidden, I promise." She was reluctant with her agreement. "And Jace..."

He smiled slightly. "Yes?"

"_He_ is here, isn't he?" she breathed softly. Jace's silence was all the answer she needed. "Please be careful, Jace."

Her words resounded through her head as he ended the call. The subway was taking forever and his thoughts were moving a mile a minute. He turned to Alec as the train lurched forward. "Tell me everything that you saw."


End file.
